Improve the living conditions of Midwives – UNFPA tell African leaders

BY: EMMANUEL N. A. Q. SACKEY

The United Nations Fund for Population Activities has celebrated midwives across the globe especially in Ghana as the world unsung heroes of community health services. As they’ve contributed to safe birth delivery, sexual reproductive health care and provide more attuned to women’s needs, desires, and local cultural
practices.

UNFPA is of the view that, when crisis strikes, midwives are often first on the scene, especially in remote communities. They know that babies arrive no matter a childbearing woman’s circumstances whether she’s resting at home or fleeing it due to conflict or disaster.

Already, a woman or girl dies every two minutes somewhere in the world due to pregnancy, childbirth, or its aftermath. Now, climate change threatens to make the situation worse as hotter temperatures complicate pregnancies and can lead to premature births and miscarriages. This was made known in a in press statement issued by the Executive Director of UNFPA, Dr. Natalia Kanem to celebrate the effort of MIDWIVES across the globe for their immersive efforts to save lives.

According to the statement in the Northern part of Ghana, midwives are providing reproductive health services to women and girls who are asylum seekers/refugees. When the Akosombo Dam Spillage Flood occurred, midwives continued to provide reproductive health services to the women and girls who were displaced by the flood.

Because of the central role of midwives in reproductive health care, UNFPA Ghana has been investing in midwifery education, regulation, and strengthening the roles of professional midwifery associations, UNFPA supported the initiation of the Bachelor of Science degree in midwifery at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi. UNFPA continues to provide additional support to KNUST such as the donation of skills laboratory equipment in 2023 to improve the quality of skills of the midwifery students. In partnership with the Ministry of Health, in 2023 UNFPA supported the assessment of 16 midwifery schools to establish Midwifery Centres of Excellence; and supported the development of preceptorship guidelines for midwives and trained tutors in its application.

In addition, UNFPA worked with the Ministry of Health and other partners to support the review of the Nursing and Midwifery Strategic Plan (20242028) and continuing to work with midwifery associations to foster a stronger and harmonized voice that champions midwifery cause and reproductive health in general.

Dr. Natalia Kanem emphasized that, sudden floods can sweep away roads, making it impossible to reach health facilities. Extreme weather events put women and girls at heightened risk of displacement, child, and forced marriage and can take away their means of supporting themselves.

He added that midwives are instrumental in navigating these challenges. As they provide up to 90 percent of essential services for sexual and reproductive health and bring their expertise and counsel to women wherever they are.

Yet, there remains a critical global shortage of around a million midwives. Their working conditions can be arduous, discouraging many from joining the profession. Over gender discrimination against this largely female workforce has also resulted in low wage rates, limited opportunities for advancement, and reports of sexual harassment on the job.

Without significantly expanding midwifery, more women will die in childbirth. Millions of stories will have no heroes and instead end in tragedy.

So, on this International Day of the Midwife, as we celebrate their countless achievements, let us write a new narrative – one in which we commit to supporting the midwifery profession, especially during A worsening climate crisis makes the need for midwives more urgent than ever. The time to act is now.